A blog exploring morality, politics, and religion.

Immoral, but not illegal

Posted on October 26, 2012

Just 39 percent of Americans believe abortion is morally acceptable, but a whopping 56 percent think it should be legal and available in most or all cases, according to the 2012 Americans Values Survey by the Public Religion Research Institute.

The point here is that most Americans, including most Catholics, think there is a difference between what is immoral and what should be illegal, and they associate the immoral with religious views (or lack thereof). They recognize that these views differ, and are reluctant to impose them on others. On abortion, they can thus be “pro-life” personally even as they support a woman’s “right to choose.”

This, of course, drives Catholic bishops and other conservative clerics crazy. But, like it or not, it shows real respect for religious pluralism. Indeed, it may even suggest that at least some of the public sees the threat to religious liberty coming from religion itself.